Despite taking a dip in 2009 due to the global recession, the revenue of the coffee and snack shop industry in the United States has risen steadily year-over-year since the beginning of the timeframe. By 2016, the revenue was forecasted to reach 32.46 billion U.S. dollars and there was expected to be over 55,000 coffee and snack shop establishments in the U.S.

In 2013, the most popular limited-service beverage and snack restaurant in the U.S. was Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, followed by Tropical Smooth Café and Caribou Coffee. In that year, Krispy Kreme operated 253 stores and generated 412.74 million U.S. dollars in the U.S. alone. However, while Krispy Kreme was the most popular with consumers in 2013, the doughnut and coffee brand was nowhere near as successful as well-known coffee brand Starbucks in terms of stores and revenue – despite the coffee giant ranking seventh for popularity.

Starbucks was by far the largest coffee chain in 2013 with 19,767 stores worldwide - 11,457 of these being located in the U.S. Generating almost 15 billion U.S. dollars in 2013, Starbucks made more than double the revenue of its closest competitor, Dunkin’ Brands. While Starbucks is primarily known for its coffee, 20 percent of the chain’s revenue comes from food sales. Starbucks sells a number of food items ranging from sandwiches, paninis, and salads to muffins, cakes, and scones.